I loved it, the character was a delightful arse, his brother an interesting morality stance, and Satan...ah Satan. Johannes Cabal is a man of science, with the magical gift of necromancy. He traded his soul for necromancy and found he needed it back, so he simply goes to hell to get it back. Thus giving way to a wager of a dark carnival to gather 100 souls for his 1 soul. With enjoyable characters in the carnival and one particular rival (with enjoyable outcomes in surprising ways and things Cabal simply has no time for) Cabal faces many challenges. An ex-Detective in particular. I enjoyed waching Cabal's morality in the face of those who weren't particularly damnable and those extremely so.His brother a constant reminder of his mistakes and a look into his family history. I really loved the end, especially with the particular challenge Cabal faced. I look forward to the next book.